Awakenings
by Ellie101
Summary: There's something slightly strange about the new girl at Salem High, and already she seems to be avoiding Cassie.. and everyone else for that matter. What is she hiding? And in the end will she stand with the witches- or against them?


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"Awakenings"

By Ellie

Disclaimer: **I have absolutely nothing to do with the wondrous author (LJ Smith) that produced the wondrous series (Secret Circle) with its wondrous characters (Nick)… Ahem, thus said: On with the show!!!**

Author's Note: **Updates may be…long in coming. *Flinches as she thinks of all her WIPs* amends statement Maybe VERY long in coming. But this wouldn't leave me alone so: Voila!**

I wrote this because "Secret Circle" is one of my favorite series by LJ Smith but I've noticed that there aren't a lot of fics being written about them… Don't get me wrong- I love the Nightworld… But this is for those of us out there that can't get those damned witches to stop invading our heads... 

*****

For the people of New Salem, and the coven of tragically gorgeous teens from Crowhaven Road, there was an uneasy alliance. The relationship was tumultuous at best and still so new that nothing aside from tentative smiles or brief nods of acknowledgment had passed between them.

Little did they know, that times were fast approaching where not only would the bond between Witch and Outsider be tied together so tightly that neither party could be freed, but that time was coming now… Clinging to the girl that traced smooth steps up the stairs to New Salem High.

*****

Anna hadn't really believed too many of the stories her cousins had regaled her with when she and her Dad had moved to New Salem. All of their shit about voodoo and black magic was obviously just a load of crap made up for newcomers to eat up like candy. It made sense considering New Salem's history of persecution to those that were different. A tiny shiver chased down her spine and uncertainty invaded her mind for a split second before she shook her head free of it. She focused on making her expression slide back into her bored, intimidating look and keeping it firmly in place with each step closer to the massive doors of her new school. 

Sliding inside and glancing around quickly before the stiff set of her shoulders visibly relaxed would have seemed odd if anyone had witnessed it. Luckily, Anna was currently unnoticed. 

This high school seemed the carbon-copy of the countless others she had found herself in over the years and Anna found herself chuckling inwardly at the immature tactic her cousins had fought so hard for her to buy in to._ ~Those idiots. Nothing about this place is creepy in the slightest. And believe me… I would know.~_ Anna frowned slightly and attempted to push that last thought down and away. Now was not the time to brood about the past, now was the time to look forward to yet another year as a shameless chameleon.

She got quite a few looks walking down that pristine hallway and Anna almost chuckled at the shock and curiosity etched on all of the white-bread-Suburban kids she was sauntering past. She wasn't surprised that they took in her ripped tights and studded bracelets with a little unease, after all, her look didn't seem to be particularly prominent in this cookie-cutter high school. _~Excellent. At least the boys weren't lying about that…~ _

Anna's lips were full and nicely shaped, but covered in black, as they were, the smile gracing her face looked more than a little unsettling. That smile widened as the woman behind the Attendance counter jumped a little when Anna padded in almost silently in her scuffed Mary Janes.

_~Ah, School… How refreshingly predictable.~_

*****

Cassie and Laurel were sitting in Chemistry when the new girl walked in. Snickers from the self-proclaimed "trendy" girls could be heard throughout the entire class. Cassie rolled her eyes and exchanged a quick exasperated glance with her before looking back to the girl. She was pretty in an exotic way- with slightly tilted eyes, a snub nose, and generous lips. Her brown hair fell in thick, messy layers around her shoulders and her amber-brown eyes were rimmed in a thick line of black. Black lipstick, screaming orange tights, a black skirt, and a very worn black tank top stood out clearly on her tanned flesh.

Cassie reached out with her mind and sensed a strange tangle of emotions surrounding the girl- namely amusement- before being suddenly slammed out and away. Cassie's watering eyes refocused on the girl to find herself looking eyeball to eyeball with accusing brown eyes.

_~Whatever that was- she felt it too.~_

Mr. Drusden gestured the girl towards an empty desk, "Welcome to the class, Anna."

_Anna_, Cassie mused, _is more than she lets on_… Anna's eyes were still locked on her own, until her brow smoothed and she seemed to make a conscious effort to turn away from Cassie's probing gaze.

_~But does she even realize it?~_

*****

Anna slouched into her seat and repressed the urge to startle the boy watching her with wide eyes on her left. She was used to stares, hell, sometimes she even enjoyed them… but something about the look in that girls' eyes had unnerved her. She had felt like something had been reaching out for her- testing her- and she had reacted so quickly that she wasn't entirely sure where the threat had originated from. 

She toyed with her bracelet- a nervous gesture that most people seemed to find menacing. That amused Anna to no end, but today, in that suffocating room Anna just didn't care anymore. Round and round it twirled, and with it, her thoughts…

She did "her act" (as she referred to it) at every school she had ever been to… Which was quite a lot. Anna considered herself a 'closet-actress', because while she spent most of her day acting- no one was ever aware of it. She fondly reinvented herself with each new school she attended- and she had done it so much that it was now a conscious decision for her to choose how she planned to portray herself at each school. Her game had kept her safe and then it had kept her sane. It was a way of life that she could no longer change if she wanted to. 

In a way, she was too talented for her own good- because somewhere along the way- Anna had left behind pieces of herself and she had a sneaking suspicion that without them she would never know which facet of the girls she portrayed was truly and completely hers. She had been caught in a web of her own carefully crafted lies, and at times she worried about it- but now was not one of them, because now- it suited her. 

Her constant moves and loner attitude had made making friends nearly impossible… but that was how she liked it. Being alone was safer- for everyone. Unbidden, a shiver crawled up her spine as suddenly Anna recalled those shocked blue eyes on hers… _~ That girl is dangerous- I need to stay away from her or she'll ruin everything.~ _The knowledge sank into her mind with a cold certainty that chilled her. Anna's eyes narrowed angrily, _~Not again, damnit. Not here with that girl only two rows away ~_

Making a snap decision, she swiveled quickly and snapped out, "Boo!" The boy to her left jumped, and Anna smirked before picking up a pen and doodling on her notebook. It was a petty type of pleasure, but oh, so distracting. A frown began to tug at her lips but she rallied her thoughts and returned to the formless scribbles she was decorating her cover with. 

"Excuse me, Ms. Watson. I know that today is your first day here at New Salem, but you will still be expected to work on this problem."

Anna peeled her eyes from her notebook to meet Mr. Drusden's gaze unflinchingly.

"Whatever."

Mr. Drusden's bushy eyebrows drew together disapprovingly, but upon seeing that Anna didn't particularly care, he refocused his attention upon some other inattentive student, "Jason," He snapped. "What's the solution? If you answer incorrectly I'll be deducting points from your grade."

Jason seemed to be a nice enough guy and one of the few people that had cracked a genuinely friendly smile Anna's way when she had sat behind him. The reddening of his cheeks and his suddenly tense posture revealed his nervousness under Mr. Drusden's spiteful stare.

Anna felt a twinge of pity for him and leaned up into her desk to whisper in his ear, "Seven."

"I'm sorry Ms. Watson, did you say something?" Mr. Drusden's voice was politely mocking, but Anna didn't bat an eye.

"I said, Mr. Drusden, that the answer is seven."

The class tittered a little at the shocked expression gracing Mr. Drusden's disgruntled face.

"Well, ahem, I'm glad to see that you're paying attention." His voice held barely disguised reproach and uncertainty.

Anna smiled sweetly, "Well, I'm glad that you're glad."

Immediately after Mr. Drusden looked away, Anna resolutely went back to drawing on her notebook, ignoring the curious stare of Jason and the intense gaze burning a steady hole on the back of her neck.

Anna was positive that if she were to turn around she could follow that burning path to a pair of blue eyes. She sighed softly, and wondered about the girl, and then about the things her cousins had sworn up and down were real.

Maybe Matt and David hadn't been kidding after all. Foreboding weighed down on her- either way, she was keeping her distance from the blue-eyed girl and she was staying far away from ANYONE that lived on Crowhaven Road.


End file.
